


Sam & Pepper's Talk

by Buckybeardreams



Series: The Classifieds [53]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Aliternate Universe - Classifications, Angst, Classifications, Emotional Hurt, F/F, F/M, Foster Care, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Littles Are Known, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Racism, Talk of Littles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:00:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29170743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckybeardreams/pseuds/Buckybeardreams
Summary: Sam talks to Pepper and Kate's father presses charges.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Kate Bishop/America Chavez, Maria Hill/Sam Wilson, Pepper Potts & Sam Wilson
Series: The Classifieds [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898527
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Sam & Pepper's Talk

**Author's Note:**

> I will warn you guys that this one is pretty rough, I got really sad writing this, and I like know everything's gonna be fine, so I just thought I'd tell you guys in advance that everything will be fine. I mean like if you've made it this far then you know that this is not the worst thing that I've done, and you probably have come to expect the hurt
> 
> yeah, I mean if you've suffered through the rest of this with me, then you're probably an emotional masochist, and I mean like aren't we all?? Worry not, I'm a firm believer in aftercare, unfortunately, this may be a long scene guys...

The sun was breaking through the clouds, shining down onto the busy streets of Manhattan as they strolled down the sidewalk. Kate and América were heading back to the agency owned apartment building where Phil and May’s family resided. Coffees in hand and their clasped hands swinging in between them. América smiled softly at Kate, who was lost in thought, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was worried. Kate hadn’t dropped in a longtime, not that she’d ever been one to drop frequently, but ever since she found out that América’s foster parents were abusing her, Kate hadn’t dropped, not once. Running away had been hard on both of them. Kate handled it by suppressing her Little side, and América handled it by staying Little almost non-stop. Neither method was what you could call balanced, but it was the way they were coping.

They had only returned, because they needed to make sure Clint was okay, they’d been concerned that he might have died. They had been there, running out of the building, turning as and watching the explosion from across the street, horrified. They saw him jump from the window, and they were the ones who ran to his side and checked his pulse, the ones who called the cops as bystanders stood around, shocked and panicking. They had stayed with him, until he was taken away in an ambulance. Kate had been sure that he was dead, and América insisted that they return to Manhattan, even though Kate kept saying it was a bad idea. América didn’t regret that they had returned. She loved the city, she loved having other Littles around, but mostly she loved that Kate was happy. Things were still tense between her and Natasha, and she refused to drop or let anyone even know that she was Little, but Kate was still happier now than she had been for as long as América had known her, which admittedly, wasn’t all that long. They were safe, they had friends, they had adults around that just wanted to help, and it was amazing. Still, América wished that Kate would drop. She knew the strain of pushing it off was getting to her.

Kate was good at hiding what she was really feeling, but América had learned to see past the mask. Kate built up walls around herself, desperate to keep others at a distance, but she just wanted to be accepted for who she was. América was the first person in Kate’s life who didn’t want her to hide her Little side, who wanted to play with her. They had only played together once where Kate had actually been dropped though, and as much as América cherished the memory, it was tainted by fear. América wasn’t the youngest Little out there, but she certainly wasn’t old enough to be a babysitter, and Kate was far too young to be on her own. They knew that without a Caregiver, they couldn’t both drop ever again. Kate was the one who always seemed to be making the sacrifice, though, staying Big so América didn’t have to. It wasn’t ideal, but then again nothing about either of their lives was exactly ideal.

América had hope that things would be different now. They could have not just one Caregiver, but two, and siblings, not to mention a whole bunch of friends that were basically family. It was perfect. América squeezed Kate’s hand, pulling Kate out of the clouds. She blinked in surprise, looking around, like she didn’t know where they were. América knew that she was close to the edge and she needed to keep her from slipping over it, because Kate was determined to keep her secret and América would do anything to help her keep it.

“Are you with me, baby?”

Kate furrowed her brows and came to a stop, shaking her head slightly, before stepping closer to her girlfriend and leaning into her, holding her coffee out to keep it from spilling

“Yeah, sorry. I was just lost, but I’m back now.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Kat. We all get lost sometimes, but I’ll always find you and bring you back.”

Kate huffed out a laugh, burying her face in América’s neck.

“Thanks, babe. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

* * *

Sam’s palms were sweaty and he wiped them on his pants as he glanced anxiously at the clock on the café wall. He felt like a teenager with a crush, more specifically like the geek dating the popular girl who was both way out of his league and utterly terrifying. Sam hadn't been a geek in high school, and Maria most certainly hadn't been a popular kid, but that didn’t change the way he felt in this particular scenario. He stood up when she walked in, and stood there looking foolish as he took in her sleeveless blouse and tightfitting pants. This wasn’t his first time spending time with Maria, but she never failed to take his breath away when she walked through the door.

“Hi, Sam. I’m glad you invited me out for coffee, otherwise I would have spent the day holed up in my office.” She said as she approached the table.

Sam swallowed, nodding, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. A moment passed before he was able to pull it together and cleared his throat. Maria just looked amused, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before sitting down, gesturing for him to do the same. He dropped back down in his chair, and cleared his throat again.

“I hope I didn’t pull you away from anything important.”

Maria’s eyes tightened a little, and her smile seemed a touch forced as she replied.

“Let’s not talk about work.”

“Right, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just, well, there is something very important happening right now, but I can’t do anything more until Nick makes a decision on it.”

Sam nodded.

“How is Nick doing?”

“He’s stressed out with everything that’s currently happening, we both are really. He enjoyed having you join poker night though, says I should bring you to the next one, too.”

Sam laughed.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure my wallet can't afford to go up against May again, but I’ll consider it.”

Maria laughed and waved over a waiter, ordering them both coffee. Sam knew she would insist on paying and he wouldn’t fight her on it. Maria was a strong, independent woman who had made it clear on their first date that she didn’t need a man to buy her things. Sam still sent her flowers for Valentine’s day, but he let her pay on the rare occasion that they actually went out to eat, or to grab a coffee on her lunch break.

“Have you heard from your boys?” She asked him, setting her coffee down.

Sam nodded, setting down his own cup.

“I have. They’re having fun. Tony told me that he made out with Bucky at church. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not at first, but Steve’s reaction made me think that he wasn’t.”

“Ah, that sounds like Rogers. I don’t have the pleasure of working closely with Stark, but Barnes and Rogers are two of our finest operatives. The only sniper who can even compare to Barnes is Barton, and Rogers is a natural leader. Fury almost always has him heading the teams when he’s in the field.”

Sam smiled the kind of smile that a proud parent wears when someone tells them just how good their kid is.

“Yeah, they blow me away constantly. When Bucky came home and showed me the paper that said he’d been approved as a sniper, I hung it up on the fridge. He was so embarrassed and grumbled about it, but when he was Little, he’d get the biggest grin on his face anytime he walked by and saw it. I must have kept it up on the fridge for months, just to see him grin at me like that. He didn’t smile that much back then.”

Maria had a tender look on her face as she listened to Sam talk about his boy. Sam always lit up when he talked about his Littles, and it was obvious just how much he loved them.

“I remember when he was approved. I also remember that many people questioned Nick’s decision to bring on so many Littles. Coulson’s agent count doubled, since he's the only Caregiver handler we've got. The press had a field day picking apart the decision, but there’s never been a moment that we regretted the decision to bring them on. They really are phenomenal. Stark’s brilliant, too. Too obstinate to be an agent, but he really has done a lot to improve our tech. I’ll admit I had my doubts when Nick said he wanted to work with Stark Industries. I wasn’t the only one, but Stark’s proved himself on more than one occasion.”

Sam nodded, his smile wavering.

“Yeah, Tony, he’s something else." Sam said, pausing before asking his next question. "Did Fury know he was a Little when he asked Tony to work with the agency?”

“No, we weren’t aware of his Classification. Officially, we still aren’t aware. Stark’s never shared the information with us, and we've kept it off of the record, but it’s hard to deny it when Rogers and Barnes openly talk about it at the agency.” Maria said, smirking at the way Sam grimaced and chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah, we’re not very good about keeping it a secret. Tony hasn’t complained about it. I take him places when he’s Little and he's fine with it. It hasn’t been a problem, yet.”

Maria hummed, and Sam raised a brow.

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything.” She said.

“But you’re thinking something.”

“It’s just, for undercover agents, they're not very good at keeping quiet when it comes to Stark.”

Sam laughed and Maria joined in.

“No, they’re really not.”

“I’m actually surprised at how long it took the media to catch on that they were dating. I know it was rumored that Stark was seeing someone, but the fact that it took an international trip to really get people talking about who is pretty shocking. Especially with how much of a spot light is on Stark, being the sole heir to a multi billion dollar company, and all. Everyone’s just waiting for him to settle down, and I know people are wondering what it would mean if he settled down with men, Littles no less. I really don't understand why so many people think Littles shouldn't be in relationships.”

Sam pursed his lips.

“Their small minded, and ignorant. Tony’s not worried about having kids, and he doesn’t need all of that pressure on him. If they wanted kids, they'd just adopt. It's a completely valid way of starting a family that traditionalist are so keen to overlook. I’m just glad the world doesn’t know his Classification, people judge him enough as is. He deserves so much more than that.”

“I know he does.” Maria said, giving him a comforting smile and resting her hand on top of his.

Sam smiled back. They spent the rest of their date chatting about nothing in particular and laughing at things that really weren’t all that funny. It was sweet, and Sam was sad when it ended. Maria got the call from Nick that she’d been waiting for and apologized before rushing off, leaving a handful of bills on the table. Sam sighed as she disappeared and pulled out his phone to call Pepper, then headed back to his apartment.

“I’m glad you could come. I think we need to talk.”

Pepper sighed and sat down next to Sam.

“This is about what I said to Tony, right?”

Sam nodded.

“Look, I didn’t mean to upset him, Sam. I don’t think he’s incapable. I really don’t. I’ve never once believed that a Sub or Little was inferior, even if some people feel that way. They’re is a reason that we have Doms and Caregivers, though. So, our counterparts can hand over the control that otherwise would be a burden on them. There’s nothing wrong about wanting to give up control, and it certainly doesn’t make them weak.”

Sam blinked at Pepper. Sam had wanted to ask Pepper about her plans to step down as CEO of SI, but Pepper was clearly talking about something entirely different.

“I’m a little lost. That’s not what I wanted to talk about. I’m not really sure what you’re talking about.” Sam said, confused.

“Oh.” Pepper said, embarrassed, her cheeks flushed.

Sam wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Pepper blush before and he couldn’t contain his shock, but managed to reel it in when she looked away shyly. It was so uncharacteristic of her that Sam wasn’t sure how to handle it. They sat in awkward silence for a moment, until she blurted out, “ I don’t understand you.”

“Excuse me?” Sam asked, not unkindly, just confused.

Pepper blushed harder, and cleared her throat, smoothing out wrinkles in her skirt.

“I don’t fully understand your relationship with Tony.”

Sam was taken aback by the confession. He was caught off guard by the entire conversion if he was being honest. He furrowed his brows in confusion, before trying to clear his head and returned to a more neutral expression.

“Okay, well what don’t you understand exactly?”

“I don’t know, everything? I guess the thing that confuses me the most is the lack of control that you have. You let Tony do whatever he wants to do, and while I admire your desire to be on an equal playing field with your Littles, I question whether that’s what’s best for them. Subs that don’t have boundaries or structure struggle. They want to please and they need to know how to do it, that’s why we give them rules, boundaries to live inside of. It’s restrictive perhaps, but too much freedom overwhelms them, makes them unhappy. Don’t you think Tony would be happier if you just told him how to make you happy and took away all of the guesswork.”

Sam pursed his lips. Pepper was what some referred to as a middle, which was basically the word progressives used to describe someone who was somewhere in between traditional and progressive. She didn't adhere to the strict rules of traditionalists, but she still had some skewed views of Littles and Subs.

“I do give my Littles boundaries and structure, but only when they’re Little. It’s not always easy to step back when they're Big, but they deserve to be allowed to live their lives the way they want to. Even if I don't always agree with the way they choose to live their lives. I only interfere if I feel they're putting themselves in harms way, and even then, I have to remind myself that adults are allowed to take risks. Steve and Bucky are allowed to risk their lives for their country, and I'm not going to tell them not to. It'd be hypocritical of me. I served in the air force and I would have been pissed off if someone tried to take that right away from me.”

Pepper scanned him in a way that made Sam feel like he was being critiqued. He wasn't sure if she was judging him or assessing him, and he wondered if she approved of whatever she found with those piercing eyes of hers that seemed to see everything.

“I’ve met Caregivers that disagree with you, and I’m going to be honest, I don’t always agree with them either. I’ don't care for Caregivers that are harsh with their Littles. I don’t care for Doms that are harsh with their Subs, either. I do wonder if this progressive ideal of allowing Littles to have so much freedom is healthy for them. What if Tony refused to drop? Would you just let him be Big all of the time, even though it would have negative effects on his mental health?”

Sam sighed, and rubbed a hand down his face.

“If I’m being honest Pepper, I don’t think you’re framing that question the right way. If you had a Sub who didn’t want to go down for their Dom, would you blame the Sub or the Dom?”

Pepper frowned.

“I would question why the Sub didn’t want to go down.” She said automatically.

“Right, and why is that?”

“Because when a Sub is being treated right, they trust their Dom enough to take them down when they need it, or their Dom needs them. A Sub who’s scared to go down is most likely either being abused or was abused in the past, otherwise they wouldn’t be resisting.” Pepper said, as though she'd made the same argument countless times.

She probably had, considering that she ran groups for the empowerment of Subs, and had convinced Tony to fund a local organization that provided shelter and assistance for Subs and their children that were escaping abusive situations. Sam nodded, smiling grimly.

“It’s no different with a Little dropping. If a Little is afraid of being in their headspace, there’s a reason for it. Littles like being Little, and when they don’t, it’s because they’ve been traumatized. Forcing them to be Little, won’t solve the problem. It could even make it worse. Tony wants to be Little, because I make him feel safe, not because he’s pleasing me. I’d say that’s why you’re Subs go down for you, wouldn't you?"

Pepper's eyes widened slightly and she glanced down at her hands in her lap. Sam softened his gaze and his voice as he continued.

"You make them feel safe. I’m not saying that they don’t want to please you, too, but it’s trust in your ability to keep them safe that allows them to be vulnerable with you. It’s the same with Littles. I don’t doubt that my boys want to please me, or that they love being praised and even seek out my praise and approval. All kids do, but even when they misbehave, they know that I still love them. Even when I put them in timeout or I scold them, I don’t doubt that they know I do it out of love, even if it upsets them in the moment.”

Pepper looked at up Sam with a newfound sense of respect shining in her eyes.

“Coddling a Little is like aftercare for a Sub.” She said, like she was just now understanding the workings of a Little/Caregiver relationship.

Sam laughed.

“I suppose it’s something like that. I think there is a point of over coddling a Little, but I think it's a Caregivers prerogative to do so. Caregivers spoil their Littles, just like some Doms spoil their Subs. It’s not so cut and dry. Doms, Caregivers, Subs, Littles, even Neutrals, we’re not carbon copies. We all have different upbringings, influences, and personalities that affect the way that we treat the people around us.”

Pepper was seeing Sam in a new light. She’d always liked him, even before he became Tony’s Caregiver. She never doubted that Sam was a good man, but she had never fully understood him. Perhaps she still didn’t fully understand him, but maybe that didn’t matter. She didn’t need to understand his relationship with Tony to know that he loved Tony, and really that was all that mattered to her.

“You’re a good man, Sam Wilson. Tony’s lucky to have you.”

Sam chuckled.

“So you’ve said.”

Pepper gave him a considerate look.

“I think you’d make a good Dom.”

Sam raised a brow at her, opening his mouth to respond, when her phone rang. She pulled it out holding up a hand when she saw the name that was flashing across the screen.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this. Can I...?” She looked around the small apartment questioningly.

“You can use my room, last door.” He offered, pointing towards the hall.

“Thank you.”

Sam turned on the TV, too distracted by his conversation with Pepper to really pay attention to it. He mostly did it to give her more privacy. Sam knew the moment he saw Pepper reenter the living room that something was wrong.

“We have a problem.” Pepper said, tucking her phone in her pocket.

Sam furrowed his brows in concern.

“Why? What happened?”

His thoughts immediately wandered to his Littles, but her next words had a new train of thought setting course, one equally as troubling.

“You know those kids that Tony let’s hang around, the ones that are staying with Phil and May?”

Sam nodded.

“Kate and América?”

Pepper nodded grimly.

“I just got a call from Hill.” 

Sam started at the mention of the woman he was currently seeing, who he had been sitting with, drinking coffee and laughing, only an hour earlier. He recalled how nervous and stressed Maria had seemed when she rushed out of the café and compared it to how tense Pepper looked. He knew something was seriously wrong.

“She says that Mr. Bishop, Kate’s father, is threatening to charge the agency with kidnapping and Stark Industries could very well end up in the crossfire, if we don't distance ourselves from it. Apparently, Mr. Bishop is somehow aware of Clint’s involvement with his daughter and claims that the agency has kidnapped her and América.”

“That’s ridiculous. We’re not holding either of them against their will.”

“Maybe not, but we can’t keep them here. Stark Industries can’t be involved with this, and in both mine and Hill’s professional opinions, the girls have to go back.”

Sam stood up, an uncharacteristic look of anger on his face.

“Back?” He demanded.

“Unfortunately, at least for the time being, they have to return to their legal guardians. Kate needs to go back home and América has to go back to her foster family.”

Sam was shaking his head, before she even finished speaking.

“No, we can’t do that. I don’t know the specifics, but both of those girls ran away for a reason. We can send them back into the hands of their abusers, Pepper.”

“I don’t like it either, Sam, but this is the way it has to be. It’s one thing for us to provide shelter for runaways, when no one knows we’re doing it, but it’s an entirely different thing when we’re being charged with a crime.”

“Tony won’t care, he’ll keep them anyways." Sam insisted. "Hell, there’s no way Phil or May will agree to this, or Clint for that matter.”

“I’m sorry, Sam, but I'm going to advise them to hand over the girls when the social worker shows, and she will be showing up tonight. Hill's going to tell them the same thing. Regardless of what they decide to do, Stark Industries will not be involved in this scandal. Tony is my top priority always, Sam. I think you can at least understand and appreciate that.”

“Tony won’t-”

“Tony won’t know, until after they’re gone, because he’s not here and you’re not going to tell him about it.” Pepper said firmly. “Now we’re not just going to roll over and let this happen, but if we want to win this, then we’re going to have to play along. Hill has already called a reputable law firm. I’ve worked with these guys before, they’re good men, and they strive to do the right thing. Tony has helped his fair share of people over the years that were in need of stand up lawyers, and Nelson and Murdock has always done right by us and their clients. They’ve already accepted both cases, and they will be fighting this. Phil and May are already foster parents, but they’re licenses only extend to the Littles system. The foster system for minors is a completely separate organization. They both might be federally funded, but Phil and May will need to go through the same procedure any new foster parent goes through in order to get licensed to take in minors.”

Sam let out a heavy sigh, and sank back into the couch.

“And in the meantime, what happens to América?”

“She goes back to her foster parents.”

“It could take months to get them licensed, Pepper, you can’t really be suggesting we let América be abused for months?”

“Of course not, the first thing we’re going to do is report her foster family, and get her moved to a new one. Getting the girls into safe homes, is our top priority at this point. Both of them. They’ll both be in the system, and we can’t do anything about that, but we will get them back.” Pepper said, resting a hand on Sam’s shoulder.

Sam nodded.

“Those poor kids. They don’t deserve this.”

“No, they really don’t.” Pepper agreed.

Clint took the news about as well as could be expected, which wasn’t well at all.

“You’ve got be fucking kidding me!” Clint shouted. “We’re not doing this. I won’t do it, Phil. The girls stay, that’s the end of it.”

“Clint-”

“No, I don’t want to hear it, Phil. They’re not going anywhere.”

Phil had been arguing with Clint about this for the past hour, they were going in circles and both of them were getting increasingly more frustrated.

“Clint, you don’t get a say in this.” Phil said firmly, ready to be done with this conversation.

He still needed to get back to the apartment, where May was preparing the girls for the arrival of the social worker.

“Why? Because I’m your Little?” He demanded.

“Yeah, baby, I’m sorry, but it’s not your call. It’s mine and Melinda’s decision, and we’ve already decided that this is what’s best for everyone.”

“Fuck you! This is not what’s best for everyone. This is what’s best for you. I can’t believe you’re really gonna pull ranks on me right now.”

“You know I hate it as much as you do.”

“Don’t even. Don’t you fucking dare. If you hated it half as much as I did, then you wouldn’t be doing it.”

“Clint, please, we have to be reasonable about this. We won’t be approved to foster them, if we hold them here, not to mention we’ll lose our Little foster license. I can’t risk that. I just can’t.” Phil pleaded with his partner to understand.

“You’re not even gonna try and fight this. You’re just giving in.”

“No, that’s not what’s happening. I promise you that’s not what’s happening, baby.” Phil said, reaching out for Clint.

Clint slapped his hand away.

“No, you don’t get to touch me, or call me baby right now. I just- Fuck! You need to go, I can’t do this. You need to go.”

Phil felt like he was about to cry, but he forced it down.

“Okay, if that’s what you need.” He said, even though it killed him to walk away when Clint was clearly so close to shattering.

Natasha slipped out of the elevator, and Phil nodded at her, she nodded back before going to Clint’s side. Phil watched Clint break down and collapse in her arms, as soon as the doors slid close, he slammed his fist into them.

“Fuck!”

He hated every moment of that. He hated everything about this whole fucking situation. It really couldn’t have come at a worse time either, with all of the shit going on in their lives, this is the last thing Clint needed to deal with. Clint had been a foster runaway himself, and he would have ended up in the Little system after the Classification Registration Bill was passed, if Phil hadn’t become his legal guardian. Escaping abusive fathers and abusive foster parents was personal to Clint and now Phil was about to send those girls into situations that he knew weren’t healthy. It wasn’t something he did lightly, and he wasn’t sure it was the right decision, but he couldn’t risk losing any of his Littles. Fury had made his position on this matter very clear. He would not protect them if they didn’t cooperate. If Phil kept the kids, the agency wouldn’t be taking the fall for them, they would let the charge of kidnapping fall on Phil and May, and they would have their Littles foster license stripped away, and all of their Littles removed, even though Skye was the only one that they hadn’t yet adopted.

It was with a heavy heart and a burdened conscience that Phil handed Kate and América over to the social workers when they showed up. Clint and Natasha showing up only minutes before the social worker did.

“Please, you can’t do this.” América begged him.

Phil sank down to one knee and grabbed her hands in his much larger ones.

“I’m so sorry that this is happening, América, but I promise you that we’re going to get you both back. It’s gonna take some time, so we’re going to get you moved to safer places first.”

There were tears in her eyes as she hugged Phil.

“It’s not me I’m worried about. Kate’s dad will kill her. She knows too much.” América whispered the words in his ear and Phil sucked in a sharp breath.

She pulled away and gave May a hug. Clint hugged her next, squeezing her tight, before pulling Kate in for a hug. Kate was dealing with the betrayal by being angry about it. She glared at Clint and shoved him away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I’m sorry, kid. I really am. I tried- I, god, I tried.” He said, his voice cracking.

Kate just scoffed.

“Gee, that sure makes everything better.” She spat out sarcastically.

“Kate, don’t.” América said, grabbing her hand and tugging her closer.

América let out a sob and Kate wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Kate murmured.

“Don’t be, baby, you saved me. You took me far away, just like you promised you would. This time, I’m gonna save you. I know what he did to you and I won’t let that man ever hurt you again, Kate.” América promised.

Kate pulled away, searching her eyes.

“Promise me you won’t do anything reckless.”

“I won’t, not this time. This time I’m going to play by the rules, and I will win. He’s gone pay for ever laying a hand on you.” América said the words as a promise, a declaration of what was to come.

América pulled her in for a kiss and the social worker cleared her throat.

“I think that’s enough. It’s time to go, girls.”

“Oh, hell n-” Clint started, stepping towards the lady, but Phil pulled him back and he fell silent at the sharp look May sent his way.

Clint hated it, watching those girls being taken away, he hated it. He hated the way that Phil looked so hurt and even more broken when Clint flinched away from, rejecting his comfort, but accepting the hug that May gave him.

“I’m gonna go.” He said when he pulled away from her embrace.

“I wish you wouldn’t.” May told him, cupping his cheek.

Clint sucked in a shaky breath and nuzzled against her palm.

“I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to sleep next to him.”

Phil gritted his teeth to keep from breaking down and headed to the kitchen to grab a beer and drown in his misery and wallow in his regrets.

Clint watched him walk away, and whimpered. Natasha wrapped her arms around him from behind, and leaned into him. 

“Then don’t sleep in our bed, Clint, but stay. Please.” May said, her voice soft and pleading.

She pressed a kiss to his lips, before going to comfort Phil. Natasha squeezed Clint tighter.

“You can sleep in my bed.” Natasha offered.

Clint glanced over at Bruce, who nodded and held a hand out for him. Clint grabbed his hand and let Bruce pull him in for a hug, sobbing into his shoulder. Skye was crying in Grant’s arms, and Leo and Jemma were both teary eyed as they clung to each other. Bruce led Clint to his room, Natasha trailing behind them. They surrounded him, cuddling him Clint in between them as he cried. Murmuring soft words, and offering soothing touches in an attempt to comfort him. It took a while, but eventually he fell asleep, Natasha singing a Russian lullaby and brushing finger through his hair, while Bruce held him close.

The press conference that Pepper held the next morning went as well as could be expected, Pepper saving face and covering for the company, while effectively brushing the problem under the rug with the rest of SI unpleasantries that were best kept under wraps, out of the papers, and out of mouths of the city gossips.

“Katherine Bishop and América Rivera were reported missing multiple weeks ago. Are you suggesting that Mr. Stark was under the impression that these two _teenage_ girls were given permission to stay at his tower for weeks on end, during the middle of the school year, Ms. Potts?” A reporter asked.

“Of course not. The girls first visit to the tower was only last week, and they have only been there on several occasions since then.” Pepper replied, all business, her face giving away nothing, and her voice unwavering.

“Did Stark Industries knowingly harbor runaways?”

“Mr. Stark was not aware that these girls were runaways, nor was anyone else associated with Stark Industries. They were simply friends of two of our youngest residents, and no one had any reason to suspect that they didn’t have permission to come over. At no point were either girls held against their will, or coerced into staying.”

* * *

“Miss America?” The lady said, reading her name off of a list.

“It’s América.”

The lady made a sound of disapproval.

“Well, here, we say America, dear, we’re not in Mexico.” The lady sneered.

"I'm not Mexican."

"Mexican, Spanish, what's the difference?"

"I'm from Puerto Rico."

"And?"

América shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm Latino!" She said offended by this woman's blatant racism.

She didn't even try to hide it, she just laughed, a cruel, shrill sound, and waved her hand dismissively like it didn't matter. To her it apparently it didn't, but it mattered to América.

“You will stay here with me, for the time being.”

“What the hell does that mean, what happened?”

“Young ladies shouldn’t have such fowl mouths.”

The door opened then, and a man entered the room. América’s eyes were immediately drawn to the white cane he was holding, the kind that one uses when they’re blind. The way he swiped it in front of him confirmed that he was using it to scan the area for obstacles. The lady made a face, before putting on a fake smile, that bared her pearly white teeth, and spoke with a cheery tone that could only be described as sickly sweet, like cherry syrup.

“You must be Mr. Murdock. Welcome, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Well, I will leave you to it, and I will be right outside when you’re done.”

“Thank you.” Matt said.

He turned to face América, when the door closed, almost like he knew right where she was. It was eerie to say the least.

“Hello, América. My name is Matt Murdock. I’ve been told that you and your friend are in trouble, and I’m here to offer up my assistance.”

América assessed the man warily.

“Mrs. May told me that you would press charges against my foster parents and my girlfriend's father. Is that true? Will you do that?”

“I have every intention to do just that. Why don’t we sit down and you can tell me everything that you know.”

América nodded and took the chair across from him. He sat down, too, locating and pulling out the chair with ease that suggested he’d done it many times before. She wondered how long he’d been blind, but she didn’t ask. She had more pressing matters to worry about. She needed to keep her promise to Kate and get her away from her father.

“Kate’s father, Derek Bishop is a cruel man, sir.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh no, okay so I did mean things to my characters again guys, my poor babies...
> 
> Don't hate me for this guys, I promise it's gonna be fine, eventually. That's kinda what always happens tho, I'm like we're gonna suffer now, but things will be fine later, but ya know that angst makes for good drama... so like we'll suffer later too??
> 
> Also, I'm totally aware that América's name in the comics is legit America, I changed it sue me. América is an alias of hers tho and I decided to use that pronunciation in this AU and the 'R' is one hundred percent rolled. Her last name change was kind of a last minute choice on my part.


End file.
